10 Ridiculous Reasons Why People Own PT Cruisers

The PT Cruiser is, in polite terms, a polarizing car. Some absolutely love it because of its unique styling and mild manners, while others would love it more if it were flying over a cliff. On fire. Full of grenades. A bunch of people over on Reddit got to talking about their PT Cruiser experiences, and the tales of how they got one are more amazing than you might think.

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1. Grandpa's spinners. "When I was in high school my grandfather gifted me a PT for my birthday. It was a white one with wood paneling, complete with spinners. As lame as that car sounds, I was just super grateful to have a car of my own. Plus the looks people would give me were priceless. When I still had the spinners on them (I didn't want to hurt my grandpa's feelings by taking them off) people would actually point and laugh at my car, which made me laugh in return. My friends deemed it the shaggin' wagon because it's lameness was almost awesome. Also, the person who previously owned my PT put a Hemi emblem on the side of my car, because that's clearly believable." — sugarblink41

2. Dad's Homage. "My dad graduated high school in 1951 and had a deep love for cars from the 40s and 50s. He always bought old decaying cars to fix up that he never finished before selling it to buy another. When the PT cruiser was originally unveiled as a concept car in the mid-90s, he loved it [because it was] the first car in decades to resemble the body style of the cars of his youth. He had a framed picture of a PT Cruiser on the living room wall, and shelves with models. When they made it into a production model, he planned on buying one when he retired. Before he had the chance, he got brain cancer and was gone in a year's time. A few months later, my frail, tiny, non-car-loving mom bought a PT Cruiser with the works." — monobot3

3. Just... No words. "My father had a friend who was part of a club — an actual club for these cars — and we bought one. We decorated it patriotic-style and put it in shows. I now have inherited it. It fails to shut down after 14 years. I am content with it." — Gaelfox

4. Inheritance. "My grandma died, and we inherited it." — Ian1732 "No one ever buys a PT Cruiser. They have been passed down from generation to generation since time began; the family curse that reminds us of our past transgressions." — wuroh7 "Past Transgressions Cruiser." — wilburwalnut

5. PT Cruiser Fail. "I'm a 37-year-old dad who drives a 2004 Purple PT cruiser with a Hello Kitty metal decal on the back. I've pushed through the depression, and now I'm in the 'enjoying the irony' phase. I feel like I've paid my karmic penance 5X over and I deserve something better, now.

"My last car was a BMW X3. Then the 2008 economy happened. I inherited my little sister's car. When I took ownership of it, I got a vanity plate: 'CARFAIL' These plates were later stolen, and I got the DMV to issue me replacements. A couple years later, I was pulled over. Five squad cars showed up, guns drawn. I switched to generic plates right after.

"Curse of the PT Cruiser indeed. CARFAIL. Sounds too good to be true, but it is.

"[...] It was actually stolen a couple years ago, too. I had left the spare key in the glove box, and some hoodlums broke the window to dig through the glovebox and found it. I was actually thrilled. Two days before the cutoff and the insurance payoff, the police called to tell me they found it. Because, you know, who in their right minds would actually want a PT Cruiser." — CoryTV

6. Good and embarrassing. "When I got my first job, my parents were so happy that they offered to help me buy a used car. The PT Cruiser was the cheapest on the lot, but it was in really good shape. I had it for eight years; lost it in a flood (Sandy). It was a good car and was an embarrassing car but it was paid off and always reminded me of how kind and happy my parents were when they helped me get it." — JanMorrow

"Wow. The gods sent an entire hurricane to destroy one PT Cruiser." — JackStrapTT

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7. PT Loser. "My dad picked out a silver PT Cruiser himself. Like, it was actually the car he wanted. One time he legitimately grounded me for calling it a PT Loser." — Jennimazing

8. Family Tradition. "My family has two PT cruisers. The first we got in 2002. My dad thought they looked cool. He really fell in love it and bought another PT in 2005, when I was of driving age and we needed a new car. [It's] kinda weird, but I find it comfortable to drive, and they haven't had any major problems. It has got the job done, and I'll probably drive it until it dies. I have a car and no debt. At least I got that going for me, which is nice." — richiejakobe

9. Vow of Celibacy. "I thought it would be funny. People would be like, 'Haha, look at that loser driving that stupid friggin' car,' and then I'd get out and they'd be like, 'Nevermind, that's a pretty cool guy.' Nobody says that. They just laugh. I haven't gotten laid in a long time. I hate everything. I hope it explodes while I'm driving it." — mikeyfreshh

10. The Lesser of Two Evils. "I was 17 and my parents were nice enough to purchase a car for me. My dad is one of those who will only purchase a car from a certain place. The car I really wanted had been purchased [earlier] that day, so I was left with two choices: a blue PT Cruiser with really girly white trim that the dealership added, or an ugly as sin burnt orange PT Cruiser. Yes, my only options were two PT Cruisers. So I chose the lesser of two evils and got the navy blue one.

"I was bummed about it at first but I actually ended up loving that car. It was surprisingly roomy and had four cup holders for all of your cup holding needs. Plus it sat high off the ground and was small, which I liked, [and] everyone knew me because of my car, which was awesome for a high school kid. I drove it for about eight years and never had any problems." — initial-friend

The conclusion? Feel free to draw your own. Considering how love/hate this thing is, however, you probably already have.

Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor. He's convinced that the last girl made the right choice, because burnt orange is awful.